Incredibly Complex, but Very Interesting
by courtneylc82
Summary: After their first date, Nick and Jess try to function despite new levels of tension obscuring their every moment. Plus, those pesky valet slips are hard to forget about. ONESHOT.


_**Here's my first attempt at a one-shot, inspired of course by the First Date episode! I'd love some feedback since I haven't previously attempted this style of fic. I don't own New Girl in any way shape or form, sad but true.**_

* * *

Their date, or more accurately their disastrous series of cocktails in different locations, hadn't solved anything. Nick had been praying for some sort of resolution to all the tension, the electrically charged air, the constant flush of excitement between them for weeks. Jess was right, there was no going back from that kiss they shared after True American, so Nick thought an evening out might move them forward somehow. But after their near-miss dinner, Russell's note-writing challenge and the strangling heat of their goodnight at Jess' door, Nick was worse off than before.

Now, days later, wherever he went, a hum of excitement buzzed in his ears, like white noise. He had gotten used to it, but it was taking its toll. It distracted him at work, it made it hard to hear what Winston and Schmidt were saying, and when Jess was nearby, it roared louder than an ocean in a hurricane. His skin prickled all the time and he was jumpy. Instead of calming things down or helping Nick define his feelings; the date had cranked the intensity between Nick and Jess up to a hard 10.

But Nick could tell he wasn't alone. Just this morning, he'd slid into the kitchen while Jess' back was turned, and when she figured out he was there, she'd done this spastic little pirouette to face him. She'd pushed her hair behind her ears, took off her glasses and squared her shoulders like she was about to confess to a crime. But after all that posturing and a dramatic throat clear, Jess greeted him with "Happy morning, yo." Nick responded with an amused snort of laughter and Jess flushed before whisking her tea and herself off to her room.

And that's how it had been for days. They were nervous all the time and their shameless pre-date flirting had been replaced with self-conscious sweetness. They were overly polite to each other because that damn crackle of attraction made it hard to think clearly. The whole scene was messy and exhausting, but it warmed Nick from the inside out to know that the quirky brunette across the hall, the same girl who talked him out of a Caroline reboot and helped him through his cancer scare, could make him feel this way.

* * *

It was one of those fun nights at the bar, the kind you can't plan. Nick was working, but he didn't have to close, so at 10 p.m., he pocketed his tips and joined his friends at a table. Cece and Schmidt and Winston and Jess had been drinking there for over an hour, and other acquaintances kept making appearances. Sadie and her better half came for one drink, another bartender, Mike, who was off tonight, sat down for a while, and a regular named Molly who Winston and Schmidt loved to hit on was there as well. The drinks were flowing, everyone was in a good mood, and the bar kept playing nineties pop songs. It was damn near perfect.

Once Nick clocked out and could join the party, he B-lined for the empty seat next to Jess. She was on her third cocktail, so she forgot to jump when he sat down and instead offered him a warm grin and scooted a little closer.

"Hey! Man, the whole city is here tonight," she said over the din. "You must be tip _rich_ after your shift."

"Yep," Nick said, wagging a stack of bills at her playfully, "my pockets are literally stuffed with ones. And maybe a few fives. There's no stopping me now."

Jess laughed, a real carefree giggle, not the nervous chuckles they'd been sharing for days. "Good to know! If I get the urge to do some online shopping tonight, I'll know who to turn to."

"Get yourself a nice little something," Nick teased. "Your budget is $17, and that, I'm sorry to say, includes shipping." Jess laughed harder, grabbing his wrist for support. A thrill shot through him at the gesture and he couldn't help sitting a little taller. The bar was so loud, that it was impossible to talk to anyone but the person right next to you. Nick looked up to see that Robby had arrived and he and Schmidt were deep in conversation. Cece had floated off to talk to a girl he'd never seen before and Winston was on the phone outside. Nick and Jess were as good as alone; and he wasn't complaining.

As the night wore on, their friends started to evaporate. Winston snuck off to meet Daisy, Cece went home, Schmidt and Robby were sitting at the bar, actually taking notes. Nick didn't want to ask too many questions about that one. But Nick and Jess hadn't moved a muscle. Their conversation was the easiest it had been all week, thanks to a few martinis and several Crown and Cokes. And the tension they'd been skirting since their first kiss was making this particular conversation more exciting, instead of more confusing.

"So, do you have like a classic most embarrassing moment story?" Jess asked innocently as she poked at the olive in her martini with a toothpick.

"Hmm, not really at the ready, but I know there's lots of material there," Nick laughed. "Once my bathing suit fell down when I was waterskiing at my friend's lake house in Indiana."

"Oh my God!" Jess shrieked.

"Yeah, it was pretty rough. I was in tenth grade at the time, so good stuff. I noticed that it happened right away and dropped the tow rope pretty quickly, but not before a lot of people got a look at the goods."

"Wow," Jess admitted. "That's a pretty stellar story."

"Turnabout's fair play Jess," Nick teased. "Let's hear yours."

"It's pretty good too," she nodded. "One summer, my little cousins were over and they were Slip and Sliding in our front yard," Jess started.

"Love the Slip and Slide," Nick concurred.

"I know, right? And that will eventually be my downfall in this story."

"I'm intrigued Jessica! Please go on."

"Ok. So I was 13 when this happened, and my little cousins were like 7, 9 and 10, so definitely younger. They all had their bathing suits on and it looked so fun, that even though I was 13 and clearly too big to be Slip and Sliding, I just wanted in, you know?"

Nick nodded, grinning.

"So despite the fact that I was wearing jean shorts and a button down, I told my cousins to move out of the way, got a running start and went for it. The problem is, my clothes weren't Slip and Slide friendly, plus I was kind of a chubby teenager, so I skidded to a stop almost immediately, ripped the stakes out of the ground and rolled down the hill in our yard with the Slip and Slide wrapped around me like a full body cast."

Nick was laughing so hard he had to wipe away tears. "Jess, that's pretty amazing."

"I'm not done yet. So when I shook off the Slip and Slide and stood up, I looked crazy. My clothes were soaked and I had dirt and grass stuck to my legs and arms. My cousins were also yelling at me that I had ruined everything because I was 'too big.' But just when I thought I couldn't sink any lower, I heard clapping from across the street. The cutest guy in my middle school and his even hotter older brother had seen the whole thing and were given me a standing ovation. And to make matters worse, when I saw them clapping, my reaction was to scream, loudly, and run into the house." Jess finished. "So, yeah, that happened."

Nick buried face in his arms and laughed until he couldn't breathe. Jess couldn't help joining in.

Another round of drinks appeared and Nick let liquid courage take responsibility for what happened next.

"So, now that we're all embarrassed, why don't you tell me what you wrote the other night?" Nick asked casually.

"Nice try Miller, very slick," Jess said. "But I'm not giving unless I'm getting. What did _you_ write?"

"Let's just say it was complex and interesting," Nick said evasively.

"Oh ok," Jess followed up. "Then let's just say what _I_ wrote was nuanced and riveting."

Nick laughed. "Well, mine was layered and intriguing. Detailed and transfixing."

"You don't say? Mine was complicated and fascinating, multi-faceted and all-encompassing." Jess giggled.

"We're rocking the synonyms tonight," Nick said. The bar was suddenly mostly empty; at least empty of anyone he knew. He watched Jess tip back her drink for a sip and set it down daintily on a coaster. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes sparkled; he couldn't stand it anymore. It was now or never.

"All right Day, I'm game if you are. You really want to know what I wrote?" Nick ventured.

Jess nodded and went very still.

Nick gulped some air and cleared his throat. "What I wrote was, 'I don't know what I am to Jess, but as for me? I'm probably half way to crazy about her.'"

As soon as he finished, his panic reflex kicked in and he wanted to run; out of the bar, away from the loft, far from that loaded sentence he'd inked on a valet stub and then parroted to his roommate. He bit back the instinct and chanced a look at Jess. She was frozen in place, staring down into her martini. He couldn't see her face, so he didn't know what she was thinking, and quite frankly, he was scared to find out.

Jess finally looked up at him, and he couldn't quite read her gaze. "Ok Nick, that was brave, I'm going to say I wasn't expecting that. So I guess I can't wuss out on you now, can I?"

Nick shook his head. He could barely breathe.

Jess sighed, and then sat up a little straighter. "Ok here goes. So I wrote, 'I don't know what Nick and I mean to each other, but I do know when he was going to move in with Caroline, it felt like the sky was falling. And I still fantasize about slapping Shane in the face.'"

Nick couldn't stop the grin he felt bubbling up inside him from making its way to his face. They'd both fessed up, and Nick, for one, was thrilled that Jess' veiled confession had at least pointed away from friendship. With Crown and Coke and adrenaline at the wheel, Nick slid his hand under Jess' that was flat on the table. He relished the feel of her palm resting completely on his before curling his fingers around hers to link them even closer. Jess held on tightly, still refusing to look Nick full in the face.

"Jess?" Nick asked softly, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Aren't you tired of all this? It's such hard work."

Jess nodded numbly, so Nick soldiered on. "I can't go back to how it used to be with you, ok? I can't pretend to be excited for you when you've got a date, I can't act like your blue and green dress doesn't slay me."

Jess smiled and ducked her head. "I don't want you to," she said softly.

"Then let's go for it," Nick said. "Fully accepting the fact that it might be hard and may even implode some day. But let's at least try."

"Ok," Jess said. "I'm super scared, but I'm with you. I can't pretend anymore either. I'm not sleeping well and I keep breaking things when you walk by."

Nick chuckled. "Then we're on the same page?" Nick asked hopefully.

"The very same," Jess said coyly. Suddenly, she was the one being brave as pulled their linked hands to her lips and brushed a kiss across his knuckles. Something broke inside Nick at that sweet gesture, and he didn't even think before sliding a hand under her chin and tipping it up so his lips could claim hers. Right before they made contact, he looked into her eyes. What Nick saw there sent glimmers of joy coursing through his body. If their kiss after True American had been passionate and their make-out session by the fish tank toe-tingling, this one stole his breath. He knew where he stood with Jess and he'd basically confessed he was taking the on-ramp to falling in love with her, but here they were, drowning in a kiss that made his heart stop. He heard her murmur little sounds of approval and felt her hands on his chest as he slid both arms around her waist. The world stopped and time stilled and all Nick cared about was Jess and how she felt pressed up against him.

"Good God, I leave for 15 minutes and this, this is what awaits me when I return?" Schmidt loomed over them, horror-struck as Nick and Jess broke apart. "I have no words, none at all!"

"Great Schmidt, then leave," Nick growled.

"You aren't even embarrassed?" Schmidt asked incredulous as Nick and Jess both shrugged. "What's going on here?"

Jess cleared her throat. "It's hard to explain Schmidt, let's just say it's complex, and interesting."

Nick grinned, this kind of smile that radiates from the heart, and didn't even wait for Schmidt to leave before pulling Jess back in.


End file.
